Filmmaker documents women’s lives in Syria

Published: Wednesday, November 30, 2011

An award winning journalist has made a 50 minute documentary showing what life is like for Syrian women living in a male-dominated society.

Lina Alabed's documentary recently premiered at the third annual Doha Tribeca Film Festival in Qatar. It centres on the lives of two women.

Interviewed was Asmaa Kuftaro, the granddaughter of an influential Syrian religious figure Ahmed Kuftaro who was the highest official among Sunni Muslims in the country. Ms Kuftaro wears a veil and lives according to Islamic principles.

Also interviewed was Lina Chachati who, unlike Kuftaro, is an upper-middle class Christian woman in her late forties. She smokes, drinks and wears low-cut outfits. She tells of her life as a fashion boutique owner in the country.

Both women talk about how they knew virtually nothing about sex before they were married and how their lives were dominated by the wishes of men.

Click here to read the full Women's Views on News article.....